mpv woes

q: When will the Toyota Avanza be launched in India?

A. S. Togari

a: There is no plan to launch the Toyota Avanza in India as it comes with a petrol engine and no diesel options. The latter is critical in the MPV segment. However, Toyota is working on an MPV based on the Etios platform, which promises to be a good alternative to the Avanza. This MPV is not expected for the next two to three years.

value for money

q: I am about to buy a TVS Apache RTR180 but am concerned about tyre grip around corners and wet roads. How is the quality of TVS spares and is the bike worth its price?

Janarthanan

a: The TVS Apache RTR180 is a good choice, but it does suffer from sub-standard quality tyres that provide inadequate grip. You could go for the same bike and switch to better tyres, such as MRF’s tyres for enhanced grip. Quality of spare parts is adequate, and the bike offers good value, well worth its asking price.

counting numbers

q: How can I accurately measure the fuel economy of my car? It doesn’t have a kilometre per litre (kpl) readout on the dashboard.

Yash Sawant

a: Fill your car to the brim (when you can see fuel in the filler neck and it’s about to overflow). Do this slowly so there’s less chance of airlocks developing in the filler neck or fuel tank. Next, reset the odometer so the mileage count reads zero. Don’t do anything till the tank is nearing empty. When you next fill up, do exactly the same thing, but make sure you jot down the number of litres used and the number of kilometres covered before resetting the odometer. To calculate your car’s kpl figure, you need to divide the number of kilometres covered by the number of litres used. It’s a simple process but you need patience to tank up to the brim and then subsequently calculate the vehicle’s fuel efficiency.

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